Saving Faith
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Dec. 6, 1963
Scripture
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “Saving Faith,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives a roadmap through the Christian life as they experience God. Encountering God means that salvation is not only an intellectual decision or that God can be made known through reasonable thinking. Scripture demands that the Christian have faith in God and a faith that includes all of their being. But how can one possess such faith when they are full of fear and doubt? It is hard enough for a person to keep small commitments to themselves. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that it is precisely through encountering God that the Christian is given this faith by Him. God initiates this relationship that leads to Godly sorrow over sin, turning from them and putting faith in Jesus Christ. These are the very beginning steps in the Christian life and without them, one cannot be called a Christian. If one has been convicted of their sins, repented, changed their thoughts about God, and grieved over their sinfulness, they have shown the true marks of one who has encountered God and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- Saving faith starts with the mind. We must understand the truth intellectually.
- Saving faith involves conviction. The truth comes with power and challenges us. We become engaged and it speaks to us personally.
- Conviction leads to repentance. We change our mind about the truth and come to a different conclusion. We realize we were wrong.
- Repentance involves sorrow. We feel sorrow for grieving God and not believing the truth. We feel indignation towards ourselves.
- Repentance also involves fear. We fear God's holiness and judgment. We fear falling into the hands of an angry God.
- There is a desire for deliverance. We cry out "who will deliver me?" and "what must I do to be saved?"
- We come to trust and rely on Christ. We cling to Him, adhere to Him, and have faith in Him.
- There is a sense of rest and peace. We are justified by faith and have peace with God.
- There is gratitude, thankfulness and praise. We can't help but feel grateful for what Christ has done.
- We embrace the truth. We greet it and welcome it. We desire to know more about it.
- Saving faith is not a natural quality we all possess. It is a gift from God worked in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Our natural heart is deceitful and wicked. We must be born again.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Saving Faith According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "believing with the heart"?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, believing with the heart goes far beyond mere intellectual assent. He explains: "The apostle repeats it, shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. With the heart men believeth unto righteousness." He emphasizes that the heart is the vital center of true saving faith, not just the mind. As he states, "The trouble with men is never rarely in his mind, but in his heart," and that true faith "isn't merely a matter of the intellect."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between intellectual belief and saving faith?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones clearly distinguishes between mere "intellectual assent to a number of propositions" and what the Bible means by true belief. He explains: "We are showing the difference between a mere intellectual assent to a number of propositions and what the Bible really means by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ." While intellectual understanding is the starting point ("it obviously and clearly starts with the mind"), saving faith encompasses the whole person. Lloyd-Jones quotes Calvin who said faith is "not a mere naked notion of the head" but "a firm, efficacious, and operative principle in all the emotions and feelings of the soul."
What are the essential elements of saving faith according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines several essential elements of saving faith:
- Intellectual understanding - "The first thing always is the mind, the intellect, the understanding"
- Conviction - "The truth has come to us with power" and "challenges us"
- Repentance - "Change your mind" and think differently about your relationship to God
- Godly sorrow - "No man can come to see that his whole relationship to God has been wrong... without feeling intense sorrow"
- Fear - "There is no such thing as saving fear, a saving faith without an element of Fear in it"
- Desire for deliverance - "Who shall deliver me?"
- Trust and confidence - "Cleave to him, you adhere to him, you rely upon him"
- Rest and peace - "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God"
- Thankfulness and gratitude - "How can one believe that he's done all that for me and not feel thankfulness to him?"
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe conviction and fear are important to salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that conviction and fear are essential elements of true saving faith. He states: "If a man knows nothing about the fear of death and of the judgment, I cannot see how he can be a Christian at all." He explains that when confronted with God's holiness, a sinner necessarily experiences fear: "You cannot have any glimpse of an understanding of the holy character of God without feeling an element of fear." He criticizes modern approaches to evangelism that lack this element: "I have a feeling that what is the matter with so much of christian life today is that men and women have never known anything about this element of fear. It's made so easy, so quick, so glib."
Can people naturally have saving faith according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that saving faith is a natural quality that everyone possesses. He states: "Saving faith is not a natural quality which everybody possesses." He criticizes those who teach that everyone has faith naturally and just needs to direct it toward Christ. Instead, he affirms: "Saving faith is something that is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit of God." He explains that "the natural mind receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for their foolishness unto him," and therefore "faith is the first active, positive demonstration that the soul gives, that it is born again." As he concludes, "Before a man can believe his heart must be changed."
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.